NEW HAVEN, Conn., March 14 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say an international research consortium has identified a gene and a region of a chromosome that might lead to autism in children.
Yale School of Medicine autism experts Ami Klin and Dr. Fred Volkmar said the discovery is based on the world's largest autism genome scan conducted by the more than 120 scientists from 19 nations who formed the Autism Genome Project.
The researchers speculate there may be five or six major genes and as many as 30 other genes involved in autism. If a child has more of those genes, there is a higher chance of being born with autism or a more severe form of the disease.
Autism is a complex brain disorder that inhibits a person's ability to communicate and develop social relationships, and is often accompanied by extreme behavioral challenges.
The study and its findings are described in the March issue of the journal Nature Genetics.
